Hair colour

Eye colour

Voice actor (EN)

Voice actor (JP)

Appearances

"The Monado... I hope I can figure out the secret of its power one day."

— Shulk

Shulk (Japanese: シュルク, Shuruku; English dub: /ˈʃʊlk/) is the main protagonist of Xenoblade Chronicles. He likes to think things through and is very methodical in his approach to most situations. He was one of the only known survivors on a previous expedition to retrieve the Monado, and as a young man has become a budding researcher set on unlocking the sword's secrets. He first wields the sacred weapon when his home, Colony 9, is attacked by Mechon.

Contents

Personality

As the main hero of Xenoblade Chronicles, Shulk is a young man with strong qualities. He is determined, organized, strong-hearted, smart, kind, and quick to the bone. Despite losing his parents at a young age, Shulk was still surrounded by people who cared about him, and he cared for those people in return. His kindness has been noted by several characters, most notably Fiora, who states that this is the main reason she fell in love with him. However, his kindness has its limits, and he shows a very vengeful side when he witnesses Fiora's apparent death at the hands of Metal Face, after which he vows to kill him and all other Mechon.

Initially, Shulk saw his ability to see the future as a burden, particularly after witnessing Fiora's demise and being completely helpless as he saw it come true. After the fight with the Arachno Queen in Tephra Cave, however, he realises that the future he sees is not set, and that he can use his power to change it. Nevertheless, there are still several occasions where he sees the future but is unable to do anything about it, which frustrates him deeply. As a result, he can be quite the pessimist, as noted by Désirée, though she adds that it shows how much he cares for others.

Shulk easily gets along with almost anyone he fights alongside with; his team-mates in particular. For example, he and Reyn have treated each other as brothers ever since they were children. The two have a shared oath of covering each others' backs on everything and, despite their vastly differing personalities, they almost never argue, Reyn claims that he can count the number of times they have argued on one hand.

He looks up to Dunban as a mentor as well as a second-in-command of the team; he gets along with Fiora very well, especially since the two share mutual feelings for each other.

As shown in the field, Shulk is also very protective of everyone. He seems to take it personally if anyone gets hurt during battle. He also asks everyone how they are holding up, even when the case is the other way around.

Gameplay

Aside from the Monado arts, Shulk has very few normal arts (only eight) compared to every other permanently playable character (about fifteen moves each). Most of his arts revolve around positioning, requiring other party members to draw aggro away from him in order for his arts to gain additional power or effects, and this makes him weaker when fighting enemies head-on, as his arts require him to wait for openings. However, he can call upon the power of the Monado, which can stock another eight skills unique to the Monado itself, and all of his moves are useful in a variety of ways, including giving useful buffs and protecting his entire party from harm with a single Monado Art. He also has the third lowest HP of the playable cast, above Melia and slightly more than Sharla, but his Strength and Agility greatly balance out this flaw. An important note is that after gaining the Monado, Shulk cannot switch weapons. This works both for and against him. Whenever a point in the story occurs where Shulk gains a new Art for the Monado, its damage will increase. This means at times he will jump ahead of the other characters in terms of damage, but they will eventually catch up to him.

Story

Late in the game it is revealed that Shulk had been killed along with his parents during the Monado expedition and that Zanza had possessed his body and laid dormant within. The revived Shulk was then found by Dickson, who recognized him as the resting Zanza's new vessel and took him to Colony 9 along with the Monado. Shulk was thus able to grow up with Dickson looking after him, unaware that he was a pawn in the plan to revive Zanza. It is in fact because of Zanza residing within Shulk that Shulk is able to wield the Monado to its full potential and is not harmed by its use like other Homs.
When Shulk confronts Egil and ultimately chooses to spare him, Dickson intervenes and shoots Shulk. As Shulk falls unconscious, Zanza leaves his body and takes the Monado into his own hands before taking control of the Bionis. Shulk, left in a comatose state, is taken back to Colony 6 aboard Junks. Within his mind, Shulk struggles to find the will to continue on, but manages to find his way again with the help of Alvis and is revived. Upon awaking, Shulk receives a replica Monado built by the Machina and manages to help fend off a Telethia attack on Colony 6, where he learns that Alvis is also an disciple for Zanza.

Aiming to stop Zanza, Shulk and his allies journey through the Bionis' Interior and Prison Island, defeating the other disciples, Lorithia and Dickson in the process. From there, Shulk's party enters Memory Space and confronts Zanza. During their final battle, Shulk awakens to the power of a new Monado, his True Monado, and uses it to strike Zanza down. At the game's end, it is revealed by Alvis that Shulk has become a third god on par with Zanza and Meyneth, and is given the chance to decree the fate of the world. Hesitant to take on such a responsibility at first, in the end Shulk wishes for a world without gods, and the world is reborn once more, with new, Earth-like landmasses. The fallen body of Bionis can still be seen in the distance from Colony 9's place on the new world, now inhabited by all of the beings of Bionis and Mechonis.

General stats

Max Level

Max HP

Max Strength

Max Ether

Max Agility

99

5,135

405

417

117

※ These stats are raw and do not include the bonuses from the skill lines.

each auto-attack hit adds 20% to his Talent Gauge

can have up to 8 Monado Arts, which can be rearranged but cannot be removed from the Battle Palette

can only use a Monado Art after using Activate Monado, the amount of Talent Gauge depletion from using a Monado Art depends on the Art

In Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Story

Although Shulk does not make a physical appearances in the main game, in the end he has a crucial influence on the events in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It is revealed that his final confrontation with Zanza is synchronous with Rex's arrival to Elysium and meeting with the Architect, the other half of Zanza's original persona. The Architect feels that the demise of Zanza is near, and it will lead to his own end as well. During the cutscene "To Find a Way Forward", Shulk can be heard saying "Today, we use our power to fell a god, and then seize our destiny!". With Zanza's defeat, the Architect feels that he will slowly follow Zanza, and encourages Rex and the rest of the party to stop Malos.

In the English dub of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the original pronunciation for Shulk's name from Xenoblade Chronicles (/ˈʃʊlk/) can still be heard, but an alternate pronunciation (/ˈʃʌlk/) can also be heard.

In Super Smash Bros.

Shulk in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Shulk is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and its sequel Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. His Neutral Special move gives him the ability to change his attributes in battle using his Monado Arts; Speed, Shield and Buster from Xenoblade Chronicles and two new Arts, Jump and Smash, invented for the sake of Smash Bros.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate a Monado Art can be selected rather than switching between each one.

Shulk's Up Special move is Air Slash, a rising slash with an optional second slash.

Shulk's Side Special move is Back Slash. It does more damage if it hits the back, similarly to the Art's effect in Xenoblade Chronicles.

Shulk's Down Special move is Vision, in which he foresees an opponent's attack, dodges, and counterattacks. Vision can be altered to launch the opponent behind Shulk.

His Final Smash is a Chain Attack with Dunban and Riki. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fiora is added to this Final Smash.

Some of Shulk's neutral attacks in this game also bear resemblance to other arts that he and other party members in Xenoblade Chronicles used, two notable examples being his forward smash's similarity to Slit Edge and his down smash's to War Swing, one of Reyn's arts.

amiibo

Nintendo released a Shulk amiibo as part of the third wave of amiibo figures. In the US the Shulk figure was exclusive to retailer Game Stop at launch, but was made available at Best Buy retailers in October 2015. It is not exclusive to any retailer in Europe or Japan. The announced release dates by Nintendo were February 2015 in North America and 20th February, 2015 in Europe.

In Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, the Shulk amiibo can be used to unlock items in the Jukebox and Model Viewer. Using the amiibo once per day will grant three tokens to use for the raffles. The Shulk amiibo is the only amiibo currently supported by the game.

In Super Mario Maker, the amiibo unlocks a Shulk skin to be used in Super Mario Bros. stages. It also uses Shulk's Japanese voice clips.

In Yoshi's Woolly World, the amiibo unlocks a Shulk pattern for Yoshi.

In Kirby: Planet Robobot, the amiibo gives the ESP ability.

Quotes

Battle

"The enemy's weak, but don't drop your guard!"

"Everyone — let's go!"

[Starting versus red level enemies] "Looks like we don't have a choice!"

[Fighting a Unique Monster] "Everyone do your best!"

[Dodging] "Not good enough!"

"We haven't lost yet!"

[Activating] "This is the Monado's power!"

"Nothing's gonna stop me!"

"Let's aim higher!"

"Almost there!"

[Healed] "Just what I needed!"

"Monado! Show me the way!"

"Behold the power of the Monado!"

"I... I'm seeing something!"

"It's coming to me...!"

"Ohh... Wait!"

"Ok, my turn!"

"Not bad!"

"Monado, lend us your power!"

"More enemies!"

"There's no end to them!"

"I'm...sorry..."

"I can't...go on..."

"This isn't going well..."

Shulk: "I'm really feeling it!"Reyn: "yeah, Shulk! get stuck in!"

Shulk: "Reyn!"Reyn: "I know, I know!"

"Altogether for a Chain Attack!"

"Sharla! Don't worry about it!"

[Talent Gauge full] "We can definitely do this!"

Shulk: "This isn't going well."Reyn: "Sorry, I lost focus."

Shulk: "Altogether now!"Riki: "Riki together too!"

[Focussing attacks] "Let's Focus our efforts!"

[Engaging at will] "Play it by ear everyone!"

[Retreat] "Everyone, make a run for it!"

Arts

"BATTLE SOUL!"

"Shadow Eye!"

"Back Slash!"

"Air Slash!"

"Streeeam Edge!"

"Light Heal!"

"Slit Edge!"

"This'll leave a mark-- Shaker Edge!"

[Art: Shaker Edge] "Pesky thing!"

"Monado—Buster!"

[Art: Monado Shield] "Monado... Shield us!"

[Art: Monado Speed] "Monado, show me the way!""

"You're not invincible! Monado Enchant!"

"No escape..." *yelling* "Monado Purge!"

[Art: Monado Purge] "That's ENOUGH!!!"

"I'll blow you away... Monado Cyclone!"

"Monadoooo... Eater!"

"Tuuurn... Strike!"

[Art: Monado Eater] "I'll smash you up!"

Leveling up

"Cool!"

"I need to be even stronger!"

"I can feel the power!"

Victory

"Piece of cake!"

"Hahaha, we win!"

​Character Yells

Reyn

"Reyn!!!"

"Get up, Reyn!"

"You're really getting into this, Reyn!"

"Reyn! Let's see what you're made of!"

"And nothing's gonna stop us."

"Ok, Reyn!"

"It's cause we all make such a good team, Reyn!"

"Reyn! You're up!"

"Easy there, Reyn!"

"Reyn! You're a lifesaver!"

"Reyn! It's up to you!"

"Nice one, Reyn!"

"Reyn! This isn't like you!"

Fiora

"Fiora! Please, no!!!"

"Come on, Fiora, get up!"

"Looking good too, Fiora!"

"Go get em, Fiora!"

"Me too, Fiora!"

"I won't let you go, Fiora!"

"I feel exactly the same, Fiora!"

"Fiora! Keep it coming!"

"Fiora! I'll protect you."

"Fiora! Glad you're around!"

"Fiora! We're all with you!"

"Fiora! You got it?"

"Fiora, that's great!"

"Fiora! Don't give up!"

Dunban

"No way..... DUNBAN!!!!"

"It's not over yet, Dunban!"

"Yeah Dunban, go for it!"

"Dunban! You're really shining!"

"Yeah, Dunban!"

"Understood, Dunban!"

"Yes sir!"

"Dunban! We're counting on you!"

"Dunban! Don't overdo it!"

"Thank you, Dunban."

"Dunban! That's the one!"

"Dunban! You're awesome!"

"Dunban, hang in there!"

Sharla

"SHARLA!!!"

"Sharla, hang in there!"

"Sharpshooter Sharla!"

"Sharla! You're really focussed!"

"And as one, we're unbeatable!"

"We can do even better. Come on, Sharla!"

"Yeah! It's cool, isn't it, Sharla?"

"Sharla! Go for it!"

"Sharla! You're needed here!"

"Sharla! Nice shot!"

"Come on, Sharla! We're not done yet!"

Riki

"RIKI!!!"

"You're all right, Riki?"

"We need full power, Riki!"

"Heropon on the rampage!"

"Haha! Teach us, Heropon Riki!"

"Hah. Good well be, Riki."

"Right behind you, Riki!"

"Riki! It's your turn!

"Riki! Take the lead!"

"Riki! Keep it up!"

"Riki, a sad face doesn't suit you!"

Melia

"MELIA!!!"

"Melia! Don't give up!"

"Give it all you've got, Melia!"

"Melia's scary when she's angry!"

"I'm glad you're with us, Melia!"

"Yeah! And we're stronger than anyone else!"

"Melia! Thank you!"

"Melia! It's up to you!"

"Melia! That's the one!"

"Melia! I knew you could do it!"

"Melia! Cheer up!"

Vision Warnings

"Reyn, this is not good."

"Sharla, watch out!"

"Dunban, listen!"

"Riki, be careful!"

"Melia, this is bad!"

"Fiora, we've gotta hurry!"

"No! I can't see it clearly!"

"The future doesn't belong to you!"

Dialogue

"Long ago, the world was nothing more than an endless sea cloaked in a boundless sky, reaching as far as could possibly be imagined. Then two great titans came into existence. The Bionis and the Mechonis. The titans were locked in a timeless battle. Until at last, only their lifeless corpses remained. […] Eons have passed. Now, our world, this vast land stretching across the remains of the Bionis, is under attack by a relentless force known as the Mechon."

"Reyn's right. You can't go on like this. […] Dunban! … This time...it's my turn!"
"I've made a decision. … My purpose in life - I will pursue that faced Mechon. … They attacked our colony, killed Fiora... I will find that Mechon - find it and destroy it. Destroy them all!"

"Xord? So you have a name?"

[to Metal Face] "You will know the pain and suffering you caused the Emperor and Fiora!"

Dunban - Fiora, how are you doing?Fiora - I'm fine, Dunban. But thanks for asking.Shulk - I wish I had a brother or sister. You guys look like a real family.Fiora - Well... you're basically like our baby brother.Shulk - What!? Baby brother!?Fiora - *Laugh* Be careful what you wish for.

Shulk - Wow, when did you two get so tough?Fiora - What? Just because we're girls we're supposed to be wimps? How rude!Melia - Quite. I'm afraid you have much to learn about the fairer sex, Shulk.Shulk - *Groan* Why do I get the feeling that mastering the Monado is going to be easier?Fiora & Melia - *Laughs*

Trivia

In a Heart-to-Heart - "A Gift for a Loved One" - between Dunban and Sharla at Eryth Sea, Dunban states that Shulk's diet is not healthy as he dislikes vegetables. He eats the vegetables Fiora cooks him without complaining though, because he is too embarrassed to admit that he does not like them to her.

According to "The Legend of the Spider", Shulk is scared of caterpillars. Apparently this was caused when Reyn hid a caterpillar in Shulk's sock drawer.

After falling from Galahad Fortress, Shulk has a dream where he picks up a piece of scrap metal and falls through the ground as a child. The piece of scrap metal bears a high resemblance to the Monado.

Shulk is the first Xenoblade Chronicles character to appear in a franchise outside his own, having appeared as playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U and as a unlockable Mystery Mushroom costume in Super Mario Maker.

Due to Super Mario Maker, Shulk is currently the only Xenoblade Chronicles character to appear on his own in a franchise outside his own, as other Xenoblade characters and materials appear in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, and Fiora, Metal Face, and several enemies and areas from Xenoblade Chronicles in the non-Nintendo (but Monolith Soft developed) game, Project X Zone 2.

Shulk and Zanza have the same voice actor. This is probably intended as a foreshadowing to the plot twist that he has been dead all the time and Zanza kept him alive through the Monado.

When using the Tachyon Chip, Shulk as a Blade in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has the highest auto-attack stat in the game capping at 1,974 at S+ trust. This makes him have higher auto-attack than Pandoria and Poppi QTπ, who hit the 1,700's.

Some of Shulk's post-battle dialogue reference major events from the main story of Xenoblade Chronicles.

In spite of collectables in the Vegetables category being Shulk's least favorite in Xenoblade Chronicles, with some of them lowering his Affinity by as much as 18 points, in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 one of his favorite Pouch Items is Addam's Supercakes and one of his favorite categories is Veggies.